Removing the stigma around mental illness and putting a stop to discrimination in the community are mammoth tasks, but these two St Patrick's College students dream big.

Chris Saunders and Wattie Hutcheon were part of a group of 50 young Indigenous people who gathered in Sydney for the National Indigenous Youth Leadership Academy Conference.

As part of the conference, Chris and Wattie joined different teams to campaign for change in an area of social wellbeing.

Chris, a year 11 boarder from Heywood and Gunditjmara man, knows all too well the damage mental illness can do.

"I've lost a few family members from it and, in my group of 12, we've all lost someone or lived with someone that has experienced or has a mental illness, and we really want to make a change."

He says the Yarnup4change campaign aims to break down the stigma around mental illness and encourage young people to seek help early, before it becomes a serious problem.

Their slogan is 'Break the silence, know the signs, do something about it, and then pay it forward', and the campaign includes a YouTube video - featuring a song they wrote - and a Facebook page.

Chris says he wants to use his network to get the word out.

"I know a lot of family members in communities that are role models, and I really want to encourage then to encourage other young people and spread the word."

Wattie, a year 12 boarder from Canberra and Stolen Generations descendant, has joined the campaign seeking equality for people in the GLBTI - gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual and intersex - people, called Unity in the Community.

"But I feel, going to a Catholic school, my campaign can't just be about that and about gay rights and so I feel I should branch out and just go straight for equality for difference."

Wattie is already working hard to connect with existing networks in the wider community.

"I've sent probably more emails in the past few days than I have in the rest of my life, just contacting the networks in Ballarat to get the word out there."

He's also talking about it with his classmates and hopes to speak at a school assembly.

"It's not just about equality, it's about trying to remove the derogatory terms like saying, 'oh, that's gay', and I feel like everyone's accepting the message I'm trying to say really well."

Both young men hope to pursue leadership roles in the community when they leave school. Chris wants to be a lawyer fighting for Indigenous rights, and Wattie wants to join the defence force.

Wattie says the conference not only helped him connect with a group of inspiring young people from across the country, but changed him on a deeper level.

"I went there as a pretty immature person but now I feel I'm a lot more mature, a better leader and a stronger person in general."